Iaon Rostas, 36, was found by law enforcement in Manchester last month after previously being deported. Prosecutors allege he is connected to a retail theft ring.
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Romanian citizen who was previously deported from the United States is now facing a federal charge after authorities say he illegally reentered the country and was later found in Connecticut with forged identification documents and suspected stolen merchandise.
Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Iaon Rostas was charged by criminal complaint with unlawful re-entry after deportation. It’s a federal offense that carries a maximum prison sentence of two years if convicted.
Federal authorities allege Rostas was placed in immigration removal proceedings in New York in 2023 and enrolled in the Alternative to Detention program before absconding. An immigration judge later ordered him removed from the U.S. to Romania in absentia in September 2023.
Authorities say Rostas resurfaced the following month in West Virginia, where he was arrested in Berkely County while allegedly using a false identity and charged with obstructing an officer. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel later took him into custody in Pennsylvania, and he was deported from the U.S. in November 2023.
The latest allegations stem from an April 2026 encounter in Manchester, Conn. Police there reportedly found Rostas sitting inside a parked vehicle that investigators in Georgia have been looking for in connection with a group allegedly involved in retail thefts up and down the East Coast.
Rostas initially presented officers with a forged international driver’s license bearing another person’s name. A subsequent search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered a second forged license, large quantities of new clothing with tags and security devices still attached and 10 bottles of perfume with “tester” labels on them.
Manchester police arrested Rostas on state charges including forgery, larceny, interfering with an officer and criminal impersonation. After posting bond, he was transferred to ICE custody in Hartford on an immigration detainer.
Rostas has remained in custody since his arrest and appeared in federal court Hartford this week. The investigation is being conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel is prosecuting the case.
Federal officials noted that the criminal complaint includes allegations only and that Rostas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Tim Paul is a digital content producer at FOX61 news. He can be reached at TPaul@FOX61.com
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